final thought
THE RACE TO THE CLOUD
Sam Mager of Krome assesses the evolution of virtualisation .
When was the last time you had a conversation about technology that didn ’ t involve cloud computing ? Whether it ’ s for your personal use or for your business , the cloud conversation has progressed from ‘ why should I be using cloud ?’ to ‘ why am I not using cloud ?’ and it ’ s quickly becoming the go-to answer to solve all of your storage and business needs .
Virtualisation in its most traditional sense harks back to the days of mainframe computing when it described the division of system resources provided by mainframes
There is a huge amount of flexibility offered into today ’ s virtualised world . between alternate applications . Since then it ’ s come a long way and now acts as an overarching term that encompasses a number of industry buzz phrases such as software defined networking ( SDN ), software defined storage ( SDS ), software defined compute ( SDC ) and software defined facilities ( SDF ).
Before you jump in with both feet though , pause and consider if your business functions should actually be moved from on-premise into the cloud . There are a number of reasons why an organisation should keep some , if not all , functions on site depending on their specific needs and data . If the answer is yes though , then , if done right , these new trends can deliver more powerful , more compact and more efficient infrastructures that are easier to manage and often deliver more for a lower cost . This is where it is critical to work with the right technology partner who has your business needs front of mind and who can advise on how to ensure you have the most efficient infrastructure that is both easier to manage and delivers more power for less cost .
Strike the balance In addition , you no longer have to sacrifice the security offered by your on-premise infrastructure . Hyperconverged infrastructures can sit in the cloud , be connected to the cloud , be delivered as a service via the cloud or sit on site as an onpremise solution . Striking the balance between putting everything on a public or private cloud and keeping some operations on premise is critical . For example , if you ’ re working in the healthcare or financial services industries you may need to keep sensitive data in private on premise data centres to ensure compliance . Partners can help organisations navigate the path between these different options and ensure they embrace the cloud in a way that works for their business , for example with a hybrid approach which is increasingly popular in enterprises today .
There is a huge amount of flexibility offered into today ’ s virtualised world . Since its humble beginnings in the early 1990s , virtualisation has evolved to provide solutions that are paramount to conducting business in a globalised market and it ’ s not going to stop anytime soon . IDC has predicted that external cloud adoption will increase from 22 per cent today to 32.1 per cent in 24 months , achieving 45.8 per cent growth . The study predicts that cloud users will increasingly to lean toward a hybrid cloud strategy , mirroring the trends that partners are seeing in the industry already . The evolution of virtualisation isn ’ t likely to slow down anytime soon – it ’ s time to get on board and enjoy the ride .
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